Best bench belt sander for sanding/beveling carbon fiber fins is...

[GrouchoDuke]

I know routers are the new hotness, but I'd use a bench belt sander for lots of other things. So, it's time for a belt sander. I'd love to find one that I can set up some kind of guide so I can get specific & consistent angles on fins (I've seen others use popsicle sticks stuck on their sander frames for this). In that light, maybe something with a flat deck around the belt is best?

What's everyone like?

Thanks!

 

[JohnCoker]

I haven't heard of anyone using a belt sander, since they're notoriously hard to control, but disk sanders work well:
http://jcrocket.com/finbevels.shtml

 

[heada]

Most combo sanding stations have a disc sander and a belt sander in 1 tool. Similar to this one(just an example)

https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-4-x-36-horizontal-vertical-belt-sander-with-6-disc/w1855
The table at the disc part is adjustable to set angles and the belt has a stop on it normally set at 90 degrees. It is possible to change that stop or move the table to the belt on some tools, normally the bigger/more expensive ones.

I would not recommend trying to free-hand a CF plate on the belt of one of these. They're much stronger than the hand-held version of a belt sander. I have one made by Delta and use it in woodworking. Once I wasn't paying as much attention as I should, the wood slipped shooting across the garage and I lost the fingerprints on 1 hand. Only took a split second to happen.

You can also spend $$ and get an edge sander.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-6-x-79-edge-sander-polar-bear-series/g0839p
Unless you're doing a lot of woodworking, it doesn't seem to make much sense.

 

[tammaraki]

We have a bench top similar to the one above and it is very handy. That being said I do like using a router on fins.

 

[BrendanH69]

I used a Ryobi combination belt/disc sander and a home-made 10degree ramp fixed to it to bevel the leading and trailing edges of the G10 fins for my "Fright of the Concordes" 54mm all F/Glass build.



And also in my current build project to bevel the leading and trailing edges for the canards and fins for the Darts of the Thales Starstreak:

 

[Tech 68]

If the edges you want to bevel are single angle... straight line, a table saw with a carbide-tipped blade might work.
I can't speak to composites, but ours worked fine for plywood fins. The nice thing is you can incrementally move the rip fence in so you don't have to remove too much material at one time. Have all your fins there, make a pass, flip the fin, repeat for the rest.

 

[Sandy H.]

I have an import combo belt/disc sander from HF and it is good for roughneck work. If I had it to do over again, I would not own it. It was cheap (guessing $89-159, but too long ago to remember factually). At the time, quick satisfaction of buying the tool for low dollars was my mentality.

In more recent times, I have found that taking time to buy old (and sometimes worn out) tools at yard sales etc., and then repairing them has yielded much better equipment for similar money.

If you buy a modern import, you will need to make jigs to get true accuracy for sure. If you buy an old/worn out piece, you'll have to do the same, but my experience so far has been that you get a much more solid machine if it isn't a budget import.

Lastly, buy well respected belts/discs. I have 'saved' a ton of money on junk belts and discs only to find out that paying 'way too much' for a belt/disc was the obvious right decision. Try it once, if you don't believe me. . . High quality consumables save a poor quality machine, while low quality consumables make a perfect machine junk - from my perspective, at least.

Sandy.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

Thanks everybody! It's great to hear everyone's experiences.

I haven't heard of anyone using a belt sander, since they're notoriously hard to control, but disk sanders work well:

I'm fine with using a disk sander too since most bench belts have a disk as part of the deal. Thanks for the link to your post. So far, I've been hand sanding everything using 3d printed jig/tools/guides. The results have been great, but each fin takes a long time. Someone posted a while ago that they could knock out a fin in 30 seconds with their belt sander...that sounds pretty great. Still, I didn't inspect the results. I don't expect to turn out perfect fins in 30 seconds, but I sure would love to knock some time off the process.

I used a Ryobi combination belt/disc sander and a home-made 10degree ramp fixed to it to bevel the leading and trailing edges of the G10 fins for my "Fright of the Concordes" 54mm all F/Glass build.

Any chance you could show some more photos of that side-ramp/support you made? That's pretty much what I was thinking of doing. How'd you attach that to the sander?

FWIW, before I posted yesterday this was my "maybe this one" sander. https://www.lowes.com/pd/PORTER-CABLE-5-Amp-Benchtop-Sander/3163789

 

[heada]

(Nearly) all the tools sold in Lowes and HomeDepot are made in the same factory using same molds, just different color plastic (Black&Decker owns nearly everything). One isn't really any better than the other, shop based on price and feature set.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

(Nearly) all the tools sold in Lowes and HomeDepot are made in the same factory using same molds, just different color plastic (Black&Decker owns nearly everything). One isn't really any better than the other, shop based on price and feature set.

Yeah, I definitely noticed that. The Porter Cable I linked above looks to be a slightly different sander than all the rest. That said, it looks remarkably similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FPTS12C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A29MXTERV2TWAN&psc=1

One day I'll get a CNC router that'll make perfect fins & do all the shaping I could hope for with a few clicks of my mouse. Until then, I'd love something that'll give me good results in less time than hand sanding.

 

[Sandy H.]

Don't forget the option of buying from a pawn shop. . . Depending on your area, they can be sketchy or almost like a retail store. . . My wife and I almost always check out pawn shops when we go on vacation. Guess what: You can buy a lot of fishing rods when you're near the beach. . .

My personal preference is to support US manufacturers when buying new equipment. When buying used or one-time pieces, I tend toward pawn shops. Not sure if that matches your buying decisions, but it has worked ok for me. At the end of the day, though, I'd prefer to cut out the pawn shop option and just buy new US equipment.

FYI, the Porter Cable you linked to looks better than my Harbor Freight example. Not sure if it will be better, but the base seems to look more sturdy.

Sandy.

PS: The amazon link looks similar to my Harbor Freight. Not ideal.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

PS: The amazon link looks similar to my Harbor Freight. Not ideal.

Thanks Sandy.

 

[BrendanH69]

Any chance you could show some more photos of that side-ramp/support you made? That's pretty much what I was thinking of doing. How'd you attach that to the sander?

No worries, hopefully the photos below can help.
I cut the ramp out of some spare nice straight oak using the table saw tilt to get 10degrees (approx). The belt sander had two convenient screws in the belt side plate which I used as my fixing points after bending some spare angle plates. I just had to cut a length wise slot in the platform and one at the end to bring the edge down and closer to the belt edge without catching on it.

It can be a bit difficult to hold small fins flat on it, but the trick is to mark out the finished bevel lines, colour your edges with a black sharpie pen to help you judge your thickness reductions, and take several small passes to judge how it goes. It also helps to make a couple of spare blanks to practice with or choose the best of the set.

 

[OverTheTop]

My 6" belt linisher would be one of the most used tools in my workshop. It also has the disc sander attached but I almost never use that.

 

[Thundercloud]

I love belt sanders, but the problems with my Craftsman (and others like it) is the belts don't track well, and they are low on power. The tracking is adjusted by tilting the top roller up and down, which doesn't work that well. The best method, is to "twist" the top roller left or right, but few belt sanders are designed that way. I was able to re-attach the large table used for the disc side onto the belt side, however, which was nice. Below is just a stock photo.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

No worries, hopefully the photos below can help.

They definitely do. Thanks a bunch!

 

[mtnmanak]

I also have the Ryobi model listed above by BrendanH69. I conducted an amazingly thorough research process that consisted of standing in the aisles of BOTH Home Depot and Lowes and looking through the 2 or 3 models they had on hand . The Ryobi has worked out well for me. I use it all the time for all kinds of things and do find the disc sander very helpful to have as well as the belt sander. The belt tracks just fine on the model I got, so no complaints there.

Is it going to replace an industrial version that you would see in a wood shop or machinists shop? No. But, for the money, it does a great job in my garage "shop" and fits nicely in a cabinet when I am not using it. It isn't heavy, so I don't have a problem taking it out, using it and putting it away.

The miter tray/table is flimsy, so I wouldn't trust it for precision work, but if you are going to make your own jigs, that probably doesn't matter anyway. The table is good enough for most of the work I want to do.

 

[OverTheTop]

I purchased a 4" belt linisher in Aldi years back. It was quite a capable unit, although a little underpowered and a little noisy. For $79AUD it was well worth the cost. I eventually sprung for a more expensive 6" which, of course, works much better (approx $400AUD). Much quieter and no shortage of power.

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L107
I will also add that I fitted a shopvac under the unit and it is connected permanently to the linisher. It is wired in so that when the linisher switches on the vacuum starts too. Very convenient as there is no setup and is also doesn't take up extra floor space. Small PITA for when emptying is needed, but that is very infrequent.

 

[GrouchoDuke]

I conducted an amazingly thorough research process that consisted of standing in the aisles of BOTH Home Depot and Lowes and looking through the 2 or 3 models they had on hand

Ha! That's why I posted here - I could stare at the one model they have in stock at <big box store>, but the collective brain trust here is awesome.

I eventually sprung for a more expensive 6" which, of course, works much better

That looks like a beast!

One of the nearby Lowe's had that Porter Cable in stock and I spent some time staring at it imagining how I would modify it for perfecto fin beveling. I didn't pull the trigger though. Still learning...

 

[OzHybrid]

If you’re doing carbon fibre watch out for the dust. It will kill any electrical equipment. I’d use a full filter bubbled through water. Use a standard vacuum cleaner and you can kiss it goodbye.